Milestone 4.4.0 Released! (Experimental)

[Chris]

This update is also only accessible by switching to our Experimental branches (instructions on how to do so here) - although please be aware they have slower load times and worse performance than normal builds due to the extra logging they contain!

Gameplay Updates:

• The Colossus Armour and Exosuit armour have been swapped around in the tech tree, and their stats and construction cost have been updated accordingly. There is now also an upgrade project for the Colossus unlocked from the Harvester UFO which allows you to improve their armour, which keeps them semi-relevant into the endgame (although the Exosuit is much better general-purpose armour).
• We've moved the Global Panic caused by a UFO finishing it's mission successfully onto the anomalies, which means that UFOs gradually inflict Global Panic as they fly around generating anomalies rather than it all happening at once at the end of the mission.
• Made several changes to the way Cleaner reinforcements work on the Data Raid / Eliminate VIP missions to discourage people spawn camping the reinforcements:
  • Enemy reinforcements now spawn with 50% Time Units, instead of zero Time Units.
  • Cleaner reinforcements now escalate more quickly, with subsequent waves of reinforcements coming 3 turns after the first reinforcements and having twice as many enemies.
  • Mission briefings should now specify accurate values for what turn the reinforcements arrive, and the "enemy reinforcements have arrived" dialogue conversations should now trigger on the correct turns.
• The first Destroyer to spawn on the Geoscape now always contains Sebillians.
• Returned the interceptor power generation values to what they were in Milestone 3 (10 for Angel, 13 for Phantom, 15 for Gemini).
• ARES now has 100 HP rather than 1200 HP, as I made a typo in the last build.
• When in grenade / medikit targeting mode, the game will no longer preview the portrait / stats of other soldiers when you hover over their minitabs at the top of the screen (because doing this cancelled the grenade / medikit use).
• Updated the art on the Fusion Charge so it glows fusion green rather than plasma blue.
• Slight damage increase (~10%) on the Combat Knife and Energy Knife.
• Panic reduction for winning a Terror Site reduced to -10 local Panic from -20 local Panic.
• Alien Psi-Amp is now marked as Junk on the stores screen.
• Briefcase of Money item now has an image, and is a 4x3 inventory item that weighs 10.
• Added some new sounds for construction of a base on the Geoscape, and for demolishing base structures.

Bugfixes:

• Fixed a crash that could occur when you tried to throw a grenade with a Colossus soldier.
• Fixed a crash that could occur if you destroyed a shipping container with a unit on top of it.
• Fixed selling a dropship causing the player to lose all items equipped on soldiers assigned to that dropship.
• Fixed an issue with the Laser: Recharge project not correctly upgrading the ammo in the planned loadouts of Unassigned soldiers.
• Fixed the "Eternal Interrogation" research project unlocking after you completed the Alien Leader interrogation, even if you had not captured an Eternal.
• Fixed soldiers that already died of bleeding wounds continuing to take damage and trigger info toasts at the start of each round.
• Fixed players being unable to save loadout changes if all they changed was toggling the Heavy Armour toggle on / off.
• Fixed the Shielded Plating aircraft armour item incorrectly using the Alloy Plating item art.
• Fixed abduction tubes continuing to play their humming sound even if they had teleported away due to the mission timer expiring.
• Fixed freed civilians on Abduction missions not being counted in the post-mission Debrief line about surviving civilians.
• Fixed some broken floor tiles on the ATLAS Base 3 map.
• Fixed the Harvester UFO hull dropshadow darkness being inconsistent between the landed and crashed variants.
• Fixed there being no sound played when you demolished a building that was under construction.

[Rakiii]

• Returned the interceptor power generation values to what they were in Milestone 3 (10 for Angel, 13 for Phantom, 15 for Gemini).

Ok but pls change Laser Lance back to 6 equip points.

• UFOs that are shot down immediately inflict no Panic, as before

I would like to know what actions reduce panic and increase funding now.

I am confused ...

I also think changes in funding should be visible on global map (same as X1)

[Chris]

2 hours ago, Rakiii said:

• Returned the interceptor power generation values to what they were in Milestone 3 (10 for Angel, 13 for Phantom, 15 for Gemini).

Ok but pls change Laser Lance back to 6 equip points.

• UFOs that are shot down immediately inflict no Panic, as before

I would like to know what actions reduce panic and increase funding now.

I am confused ...

I also think changes in funding should be visible on global map (same as X1)

We've moved the Global Panic caused by a UFO finishing it's mission successfully onto the anomalies, which means that UFOs gradually inflict Global Panic as they fly around generating anomalies rather than it all happening at once at the end of the mission. I'll update the patch notes to explain that better.

Yeah, I'll fix the Laser Lance in the next patch then.